Roger Fry

ROGER FRY

(1866 - 1934)

Red Still Life Chrysanthemums

oil on canvas

unframed: 75 by 55cm.; 29½ by 21¾in.

framed: 92 by 72cm.; 36¼ by 28¼in.

The Artist , and thence by family descent to the present owner

Roger Fry’s impact on the visual arts in Britain cannot be overstated. Initially opposed to the slide towards Modernity his curation of the seminal 1910 exhibition at the Grafton Galleries, ‘Manet and the post-Impressionists’, (slowly) changed the course of painting in Britain’s deeply conservative artistic circles. Bringing works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin to the attention, and derision, of critics and visitors alike his bravery and vision helped open the door to a generation of brisk and radical change. The rhythm and colour which he championed permeated his work and is in bold evidence here. Taking on a very characteristically French manner Red Still with Chrysanthemums is redolent of the very best still-life paintings being produced in France during this period.

The present work is a brilliant example Fry’s delicate sympathy for the balance of texture, here between flowers, drapery, and reflective surface of the table. It is also striking evidence of the passion for the everyday which he and the rest of the Bloomsbury artists came to be known for.

Fry was also, alongside Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, responsible for the birth of the Omegas Workshops. His belief that the divisions between decorative and fine arts should be abandoned was one of the key driving factors in this enterprise.